Drunken Mistake
by TraceAce
Summary: Chris Jericho has had a bad night, and decides to wash his problems away by downing a few beers. Little does he know, those drinks get him into more trouble then he's ever dealt with..and he's found himself having to work with someone he's not exactly bes
1. A Bad Night..

Hehe, major thanks to Ocy for saying that this story idea was a good idea. ^__^ Don't worry, Ocy, I'll make sure to make it as evil as you think it's gonna be! ROFL.  
  
As usual, my symbols..  
'= thought  
"= speech  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
It was one of those sort of days that he would love to just forget. The night was brutal on that day. He had lost. He, Y2J, had lost to Booker T. It was always the same, he of course got screwed. It was like in the WWF, nine tenths of the time he was screwed over by an angry McMahon, or a jealous Austin.  
  
'These drinks are gonna taste real good.' Jericho was sitting quietly in the bar that Austin had inhabited a few hours ago. The bar was now in full swing, and the patrons were certainly living up to the usual thoughts of the bar. A few of them were all ready wasted, and some of them seemed to be edgy with each other. Jericho wouldn't be surprised if a fight or two broke out right in front of him.  
  
He was home. Contrary to popular belief, or perhaps it was obvious..he did like his drinks when he was pissed off. It didn't happen often, so he cherished the few times he could get wasted and have a reason for it. The bartender filled up another mug of beer and placed it in front of him. He had all ready placed the money for it on the bar, and proceeded to take a good swig of the beverage.  
  
He loved the slightly bitter taste rushing down his throat. It was like each drop offered him comfort. What a joke he was. As hard as he tried, he never ever seemed to be able to reach the top. He always was close, always just at the edge..and he always ended up losing. He had almost become WCW champion, even if he wasn't even in the WCW anymore. God, he hated WCW. He hated ECW too. Fuck them both. He *especially* hated that little hoebag..  
  
Jericho twitched, feeling like breaking the mug over someone's head. That little bitch..of all people in the entire world, he just wanted to take her and ring her neck. She had and still is been the biggest thorn in his side. Half of the time, he lost his title shot because of her. Now, Little Princess owned ECW. What a completely perfect choice for her. He knew they meant when he had stated. Every customer but him, huh? He could live with that. She was the last person he'd *ever* want to wake up next too.  
  
'If I ever got that desperate, I'd go for a fuckin' prostitute before her.' he smirked at the bartender who eyed him as he bought another one. He wasn't leaving until he was plastered. The hotel was near by, he didn't need to drive.  
  
Two hours and six beers later, Jericho easily stumbled into a standing position. God he felt good. He could do anything now. Glancing around dizily, his vision majorly impaired, he walked slowly, if it could be called walking. It was more like staggering. He started moving towards the door, but not before slamming into an Indian statue, which was near the front door.  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am." he said, his voice cracking as he let out a little giggle. After a few tries, he managed to open the door. Stepping outside, he looked around, blinking. 'Go for the big lighted building'. He reminded himself, even through his drunken stupor. He walked across the street, nearly getting hit by 2 cars on the way. 'I'm totally wasted.' He laughed at something unknown as he entered the hotel.  
  
He got a lot of dirty looks as he entered. He walked up to the desk, smiling stupidly.  
  
"Ish got a room 'ere.." he said, his speech slurred.  
  
"Name?" he questioned, looking disgusted.  
  
"Uum.." he thought a moment. "Chris Jericho." The man looked down his list, rolled his eyes, and got his key.  
  
"Enjoy your..uh..stay. Your room is 107A, it's on this floor down the hall." the man's eyes suddenly raised and he let out an exaspered sigh. "Jesus, can't you people drink without totally killing yourselves?"  
  
Jericho, though not exactly with it, raised his head from the desk and glanced over at the direction the man was looking at. 'Nice body.' She walked over, or stumbled over at least.  
  
"Name?" the man asked, now looking annoyed.  
  
"Hey buddy, why don't you go take your foot out of your ass and treat her with respect." The girl glanced at him, and though he couldn't focus on her well, he knew she had smiled at him.  
  
"Because people like you disgust me." he sneered at him. "Now then, name?"  
  
"Umm.." she paused, thinking. "..I don't know." She erupted into a fit of giggles, and Jericho joined in.  
  
"You can come to my room, baby.." he smiled, snaking his arm around her waist.  
  
"Okay." she nodded, smiling. Remembering the way the prick of a guy pointed too, he led her in that direction. 'I'm SO going to get laid. Score!'  
  
By the time they got to the room, they were all ready kissing. Neither of them noted a flash, as they seemed a bit too involved at the moment with each other. Jericho managed to open the door with one hand, while sharing quite the passionate kiss with the girl he had just happened to meet. As the two entered the room, they barely had time to close the door.  
  
However, if Jericho was sober, he would have realized that he was making out with none other then the ECW owner, Stephanie McMahon. He saw her as just some random girl, though, through his drunk perception. He didn't realize that he would pay for his actions the next morning, but at that moment..all he could think about is the kisses and the rough touch of an equally drunk female. 


	2. You Know You Had Too Much To Drink When....

Jericho woke up with the distinct impression that he might have one of the worst hang overs in the history of man. The sunlight was flooding into where ever the hell he was, and it was like all the light was just on him, burning into him. He didn't even remember anything that happened after his fourth drink.  
  
Even though his head was pounding, he suddenly realized someone was *next* to him. 'Oh dear god, did I..'? he pulled up the covers to see only his boxers was preventing him from being intirely nude. Though it was still there, it didn't mean it was last night. 'I'm so screwed.' He turned his head to look at the sleeping form next to him. Her face was buried in the pillow, preventing him from seeing her face. Her back was exposed, and she had her bra on and nothing else but that.  
  
'She's gonna be one pissed off girl when she wakes up.' He shuddered at the thought. He hoped she didn't blame it all on him. When the hell did he talk to a girl, anyway? He tried to remember what happened the night before, but could not put her finger on a single event.  
  
The girl eerily kept making him think he knew her from somewhere. Though he knew an option was to just get the hell out of the room, he wasn't like that. Fighting the urge to puke as his head ache intensified, he softly rolled her over. The sight nearly pushed him over the edge of if he was going to be sick or not. It also made him jump back and land on the floor hard. 'No..NO! Holy shit, not her..anybody but her..'  
  
The noise of him smashing into the ground must have woken her up, as she lazily opened her eyes. Jericho had gone to the point where he was shaking. 'Not her..of all the chicks in the world, I had to pick up..'  
  
"What the fuck..?" she voiced, not fully aware of her surroundings. Her eyes fell on him, and her eyes widen. Oh yes, she seriously must have figured it out too. 'I'm in such DEEP SHIT!' "What the hell are you doing here?!"  
  
"I should be asking you the same question." his voice was shakey. "This is MY room." he had noted that his stuff was in there, while hers wasn't.  
  
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO, RAPE ME!?" Jericho winced at the word 'rape'. She had gotten up, and was suddenly aware that she was *very* undressed.  
  
"Rape you?! Why the fuck would I do that?! You think I'd want to have sex with *you* on purpose?!" Chris glared at her as she quickly tried to find her stuff.  
  
"Because you're a sick fuck!" she glared at him. "You probably drugged me!"  
  
"What the HELL are you talking about?" Anger had suddenly boiled up as he stood up, completely ignoring that he was only clad in his boxers. "I just had a drink or two! I don't even remember SEEING you!"  
  
"Yeah, well, I did that too..I bet this was all your plan, you probably paid the bartender to drug me up so you can be a sick bastard--"  
  
"Steph, look who the hell you're talking about?! Why would I want to drug up you when there's whores just like you that have bigger breasts!" Stephanie grew red, glaring at him.  
  
"You are so dead you little prick--" she ran at him, punching him straight in the jaw, He fell back into the chair behind him.  
  
"SHIT, Stephanie!" he rubbed his jaw, wincing. 'This is a fucking nightmare..someone needs to wake me up..'  
  
"Now what the HELL did you do to me!?"  
  
"What *I* did to *you*?! You probably did this to ME!" he shot back, glaring at her. She had managed to find her stuff and was now dressed.  
  
"Like I would want to touch *you*." her eyes narrowed. "Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick..!" she pointed a finger at him. "Don't you think you're going to get away with this you little fucker!"  
  
"LISTEN!" he grabbed her hand as she tried to just get out of there. "What the hell did we do last night?" She glared at him.  
  
"You should know!"  
  
"Get off it, bitch. I'm being serious." he stared at her. "Do you even remember?"  
  
"No!" she glared at him. "I wonder WHY!"  
  
"Because you were as probably as drunk as I was, because I don't remember either." Chris was just trying to make sense of what was happening. "Oh god, I really hope I didn't.." he let go of her arm, shuddering slightly.  
  
"You hope?! What about me?!" she turned green, she must have been thinking about it. "I'm gonna puke.." she suddenly bolted to the bathroom, and seconds later Jericho heard retching sounds. Jericho was trying to even slightly remember what had happened the night before. It was still gone. His head ache had suddenly just got worse. Against all judgement, he stood up and walked to the bathroom.  
  
'Oh Jesus..' She was on the floor, crying. He couldn't believe that the feeling of pity shot up him. He walked over and she didn't even look up. "You know I didn't want any of this to happen."  
  
"But it did." she said, angrily. "It did, and I don't even KNOW what happened last night. For all I know, I might be having some little freakish kid in 9 months!"  
  
"Don't even JOKE about that." Jericho made a face.  
  
"But it could happen!" she shot back. Suddenly both went silent when a knock at the door sounded.  
  
"Chris? Ya up yet?" Jericho froze. 'Perfect timing..'  
  
"You have got to hide." he said in a sharp whisper. He basically picked her up, dragging her into the closet. She stared at him in shock. "Say a word and I swear to god I'll blame my drunkiness for killing you." She nodded mutely, before he pushed the sliding door in front of her.  
  
"Chris?"  
  
"Coming!" Chris quickly grabbed at the door and opened it. He tried to smile as best he could at the female who raised a brow at him.  
  
"Chris, must you always answer the door in the morning without pants on?" He smiled weakly at Lita.  
  
"You must like it if you continue to come this early." he replied, looking innocent. She giggled a bit and shrugged.   
  
"I guess staying with two guys for the past year sort of makes you used to it."  
  
"Ahh yes, how is my favorite duo of brothers?" Chris slouched against the door frame.  
  
"I woke up to hear them fighting about who has the better ass." Lita rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm so glad they continue to be so productive." Chris chuckled slightly. "So, besides the update, have any reason to come along here so early?"  
  
"Yeah, I was just going to go grab some breakfast." she replied. "I was wondering if you wanted to come along."  
  
"Why didn't ya ask your boyfriend?" he raised a brow at her.  
  
"I didn't feel like listening to him fight with his brother. It's one of those sort of days." she gave a quick grin.  
  
"Ahh, I see." he nodded. "Well, I'd love to go Lita, but I'm still feeling a bit sick from last night.."  
  
"Oh Chris, don't tell me you got drunk.." she tapped her foot. "One day you're going to get in trouble for that."  
  
'Already happened, Lee..you just don't know it.' Jericho managed his best smile. "You know me, Lita, can't get into any more trouble then I do when I don't have the drinks."  
  
"If you say so. I'll see ya later Chris." she paused. "Oh, by the way, I found this outside your door." she produced an envelope. "Anomoyous, I suppose."  
  
"Thanks." he took it. "Bye Lita." She walked off, and Chris closed the door. 'hat was close..' He basically threw the envelope onto a nearby flat surface, or the bed, and walked to the sliding door. He opened it to see Stephanie sitting there, looking as upset as she was before Lita came.  
  
"She's gone."  
  
"I know she's gone, idiot." she stood up, walking out.  
  
"You're such a bitter person, ya know that?" Jericho smirked at her.  
  
"Yeah well you're a fuckin' annoyance!" she was SERIOUSLY still pissed. "Now, I suggest you tell no one about this.."  
  
"You think I WANT people to know I did anything with you?!"  
  
"I'm just warning you, Chris Jericho. You even tr--" her attention was suddenly drawn to the envelope on the bed. "What's that?"  
  
"Something Lita found outside my door, why?"  
  
"Why!? Haven't you seen movies like this?" Stephanie walked past him and grabbed it, sitting on the bed. "And will you please put some pants on?"  
  
"Whatever." he rolled his eyes, walking to find his missing pants. Stephanie precariously opened it, pulling out the contents. Jericho blinked as he heard a slight whimper come out of her mouth. He pulled his pants up, then looked towards her. "What's wrong?" She didn't respond, so he walked over there and looked himself.   
  
'Oh shit..' 


	3. The Envelope..Things Just Aren't Going Y...

He plopped down next to her, staring at it in shock. 'And to think I figured it couldn't get worse.' Chris snatched it out of her hands, staring at it. This didn't make sense.  
  
"This is all your fault!" He was getting really sick of being blamed.  
  
"Listen, Princess.." his voice seemed strained to keep his temper. "I'm getting sick and tired of you bitching. I didn't make you do anything with me. You're as much to blame for this as I am. So why don't you just sit back and shut the hell up before I actually *do* do something to you, and trust me, I'm about to in 5 seconds." Stephanie looked appalled, but went silent. "Thank you." She shot him a glare as he looked at the contents of the envelope.  
  
He looked at the picture. The scene was undoubtably real, but he couldn't remember it at all. They were really making out..the beer must have been pretty strong. 'I can't believe I was kissing her like that. Gross..' He turned it over and noticed writing.  
  
"What's that?" it was the first time she had spoken up from her pouty mood when Jericho told her to shut up.   
  
"Obviously it's a note." he rolled his eyes, reading it. "Says here our camera man is none other then our great buddy Big Show."  
  
"Big Show?" she asked, doubtful.  
  
"I hate to tell you, Steph, but your connections with ECW must have made him hate you. He's hated me since..well, a long time." he shook his head. "This basically means that you and I are now officially in deep shit. I don't know about you, but this thing here.." he turned it over again, letting her see it. Steph winced, trying not to look at it. "..is my death warrant."  
  
"And you think *I'M* happy about it?! What else does the note say?"  
  
"We are now officially the slaves of our big idiot or he'll make sure all three federations see it. That would not be very good at all. I'm on the WWF team, I don't think Vince would be happy seeing a picture of me..me.." he shuddered. "You know what I mean."  
  
"Who gives a shit what my dad thinks..I own a company! How the hell am I suppose explain this?!"  
  
"Your company is going down anyway." he rolled his eyes. Stephanie smirked at him.  
  
"Whatever. You guys have no chance against us. You should have went to WCW, to the winning side."  
  
"I would rather lose my job then go to that boring crap." he paused. "What the fuck are we fighting about? We have bigger problems right now. How are we going to get the original of this picture so he can't make any more copies?"  
  
"Well you're the all knowing Jericho, why don't YOU make a plan?!" Jericho stood, beginning to pace back and forth in the room. 'I have to think..man, if someone told me I'd be in this much deep shit, I wouldn't have believed them. I wouldn't have thought it possible. Wait..back to thinking..OK..now, all we need to do is jump Show. Oh yes, it'll be that easy. I'm sure he'll go down when me little body jumps on him. God, I'm even saracastic to myself.'  
  
"I have an idea." Jericho turned his head to her. She was still sitting on the bed, looking at the picture.  
  
"Oh really?" he smirked.  
  
"Yes." she nodded. "But we might need your friend Lita."  
  
"What?! No way! I'm not bringing her into this..!" Jericho glared at the girl. "Fuck that."  
  
"Listen, there are *no* girls in ECW, and Show would never trust a girl from the WCW." she shook her head.  
  
Jericho paused. 'I don't want Lita hurt..' He frowned slightly. "What would she have to do?"  
  
"Just distract him while you sneak in to his room." she nodded.  
  
"Oh, that's soo easy." Jericho rolled his eyes.  
  
"Really, Chris!" she made a face. "It'll work."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I refuse to put her in danger." he shook his head. "There's got to be a better way." Stephanie let out an exasperated groan. He glared at her. "Listen, I don't know how you feel with your friends, but I usually chose not to put them in positions where they could get hurt."  
  
"Fine, fine." she rolled her eyes. "Why don't we see what he wants us to do? Look, it says here that we should meet him at his room. What time is it?"  
  
"I don't know, do I look like I have a watch?" Stephanie rolled her eyes, glancing around the room. She found the clock.  
  
"He expects us there in..3 minutes." she stood up. "Come on, idiot, you helped me get into this mess, you're going to help me get out of it."  
  
"You probably came on to me." he muttered under his breath, grabbing a shirt and his shoes. Putting both of them on, he stood. "No one better see me with you."  
  
"Like I want people to see me with a loser like you." she rolled her eyes, opening the door, carefully looking out. No one was around. Thankfully it was still early.  
  
"Come on." Jericho nudged her out. The two hurriedly walked towards the room.  
  
****  
  
'Oh shit.' he noted someone walking down the hall as they reached the door. Stephanie banged on the door, and it opened. Jericho shoved her in before the person saw them. Slamming the door behind them, Stephanie whirled around and glared at him.  
  
"What the hell was that for?"  
  
"Someone was coming." he smiled innocently as she glared at him again.  
  
"You know, it was quite funny seeing you all like that yesterday." Both turned their attention to Big Show, who was grinning at them.  
  
"You can't do this to us!" Stephanie glared at him. He let out a large laugh.  
  
"Who's gonna stop me? Here, I dare ya, take a swing at me." He leaned over, jutting out his jaw. 'If he didn't have those pictures..' It all happened in an instant.  
  
"OW! SON OF A BITCH!" Jericho blinked uncomprehendibly. He looked to find Big Show holding his face. 'What the hell?'  
  
That was when he noticed what was in her hand. 


	4. Hey, If Ya Gotta Work Together--Work Whi...

This'll be the last chapter until like..Thursday, Friday..something like that. I'm going on vacation. Knowing me, I'll write chapter 4 on the beach, LOL.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'Pepper spray.' he shook his head. 'Creative, I'll give her that..'  
  
"What are you standing there, for, reject?! Tie him down or something!" Jericho sprung to action. 'I can't believe I'm taking orders from HER.' he grabbed the covers on Show's bed, dragging them to him. He was easy to get down after that.  
  
5 minutes later, he was a hogtied giant. He tried to wiggle out of it, but found Jericho had tied it..tight. Jericho and Stephanie stood in front of him, looking down. He glared up at them with a look that good slice diamonds.  
  
"So, where's the pictures, Big Slow?" Jericho smirked.  
  
"Like he'd tell you." Stephanie rolled her eyes and walked past the huge tied up bulk. "Help me look."  
  
"Well aren't YOU bossy." Jericho smriked.  
  
"Just come on." she glared at him. Sighing, he followed, and started to search through his belongings.  
  
"You can't do this you know!" Big Show said, sounding pissed.  
  
"We're doing it, though." Jericho replied, pulling up a few of his shirts.  
  
"Find anything yet?"  
  
"Nothing." Chris shook his head. Suddenly, his eye caught the probably most innocent spot in the room. "Hmm.."  
  
"Was that a good 'hmm' or a bad 'hmm'?" Stephanie glanced over to see him stooping over a pile of newspapers.  
  
"Got it." he pulled out an envelope from the middle of the stack. Opening it, the film reel dropped out. Picking it up, he glanced closely at it.  
  
"Is it the right one?" Stephanie had walked over, trying to peer over his shoulder.  
  
"Yup." he nodded. "There it is. And here's all the copies." He handed them over to her.  
  
"Great, let's get out of here!" She started to walk out but he caught her by the shirt. "Hey! Lemme go!"  
  
"Hold on a minute, Princess." he kept the hard edge of sarcasticness when he called her that. She whirled around, looking confused.  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked, annoyed. "I wanna get out of this hell hole."  
  
"Think about it for a second, we found this in 10 minutes top." he glanced over at the now calmed Big Show. 'Must have given up.'  
  
"Yeah, so?" she replied, smirking.  
  
"Any normal person would figure out that he probably has an extra one stored somewhere else." he rolled his eyes. "But then again, *you're* not normal, I shouldn't expect you to think of that."  
  
"Bite me." she sneered at him.  
  
"Judging from those pictures, looks like I all ready did." he grinned at her as she looked disgusted. "Now then..if I was an ugly big assed idiot like Big Slow over there, where would I.." his eyes stopped on a black case. "Here we go!"  
  
"What's that?" she questioned as he pulled it out.  
  
"Computer case. Jericho said simply. He opened it easily and hooked it up to a nearby socket.  
  
"Let's see here..man, Big Slow, are they paying you that little?" He glanced at the pissed off giant. "Oh, that's right, they pay you with food. Nevermind." He watched as the computer booted up. "This thing might be slower then you."  
  
"Must you keep taunting him? He might get so mad he'd break the sheets or something.." Stephanie pointed out.  
  
"Relax." Jericho rolled his eyes. He began searching through the computer, looking at every picture in it, which wasn't much. "Ahh, see that?" Stephanie peered where he was pointing. "What'd I tell you?"  
  
"Fine, fine.." she rolled his eyes as he deleted the picture off of his computer. "I guess you were right.." she muttered under his breath.  
  
"What was that?" he questioned as he wiped it out of his trash box in his computer. "I didn't hear you.."  
  
"Just come on." she rolled her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently.  
  
"Touchy, touchy.." Chris rolled his eyes, shutting the computer down. He closed it, not bothering to unplug it. "Thanks, Slow." he patted his head, grinning.  
  
"Are we just going to leave him there?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure someone will find him." Jericho shrugged. "Have a good day, Slow."  
  
Jericho opened the door and peeked out into the halls. 'No one's around. Good.' He glanced back at her. "Come on, move your non-existant ass."  
  
"You should talk Stick Figure!" she replied, annoyed. She gingerly followed him, though.  
  
They ended up in his room again. He shut the door and grabbed the papers from her. She just rolled her eyes at him as he counted the copies. 'Jesus, he had to have made like 50 of these.'  
  
"What ARE you doing?" she questioned.  
  
"Trying to figure out our best means of getting rid of these eye sores." he replied, not looking up from them. "Lighting them might be a little risky, but we don't want anyone to find this." He pulled out a lighter and was about to do it when Stephanie caught his arm.  
  
"Are you nuts?! Uh, hello, you have what humans call fire alarms in the room! You put them up and it's BOUND to make a lot of smoke." Chris paused.  
  
"Then what do you suggest we do?" he gave the pile to her. "All yours."  
  
"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, but of all people I should of figured YOU wouldn't think of it." Stephanie shot back, putting the stack on the bed. "See Chris? Watch..you take the paper like this and hold it like so.." Chris just glared at her as she sarcastically showed him her idea. "And then you TEAR." she teared it in half as she said the word 'tear'.  
  
"Oh, that's VERY original." he replied sarcastically.  
  
"No! It's CALLED common sense! Now, instead of standing there being a general pain in the ass, sit down and tear these things to pieces that no one could ever put back together." she had sat herself down on the end of the bed, pushing the stack more to the middle.  
  
"Fine." he rolled his eyes, sitting on the other side of the bed. The two worked in silence for awhile, both tearing the papers so much it covered the bed they were both sitting on. 'I think this must be the longest time I've been by her without pissing her off.' He glanced at her as she suddenly stopped at one picture, blinking in shock.  
  
"Um..I don't think..this one is ours." Jericho blinked, not understanding. "Come here, check it out." She suddenly burst into giggles, and Chris, now interested, moved his body so he was sitting next to her on the bed.  
  
"What..what are you.." Jericho looked down at the picture and a broad grin appeared on his face.  
  
"It's what I think it is, isn't it?" Stephanie asked him, letting him have a closer look.  
  
"I think so, or maybe it's one of those beached whales.."   
  
"Maybe both?" Both of them looked at each other before cracking up.  
  
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  
  
"You know, for once Princess, I think I am. I think I am." he gave her one of her Cheshire cat grins. "Let's keep this..just in case."  
  
"Definitely." she nodded her head, flashing one of her own grins.  
  
It was perhaps the first time they had been civil to each other the whole morning, and most likely the first time they ever agreed on anything.  
  



	5. Well, THAT Was A Short-Lived Truce...

Little note--Just to make sure all know..I'm back (obviously) and this is chapter 4, not 5. :) The first chapter is a prologue! Hehe..  
  
Jericho had moved back to his own spot on the bed. He glanced over to the picture again, stifling a laugh. It was such a priceless picture..there, in plane view, is the Big Show..in a bikini. 'I wonder where the hell he got a size that didn't break on him.'  
  
"I don't hear you tearing.." Chris glanced up, then smirked.  
  
"What am I, your slave?" he quipped, smirking.  
  
"Can you EVER do things without trying to piss me off?"  
  
"What fun would that be?" he asked innocently, grinning.  
  
"Ugh!" She ripped the picture in her hand. "I cannot believe I did this with you. I must have been pretty drunk last night because I should have KNOWN your scratchy, whining voice!"  
  
"You should talk!" he replied. "Actually, no, nevermind. Just shut the hell up.."  
  
"Fine. I'll shut up if you shut up."  
  
"Fine." Jericho replied easily.  
  
"Fine!" Stephanie shot back and they went silent.  
  
'I knew we wouldn't get along for too long.' Chris tore the picture in his hands. He glanced up at her. 'Wow, she looks really pissed. Then again, I don't really blame her because I'm pissed too. Why did I have to end up with her of all people..ugh, it makes my stomach churn. Hm, but still, weren't we getting along for a few seconds back there? This is not good.' He ripped the next picture. 'I wonder what she's thinking. Probably about how much she hates me, and if that's the case..the feeling's mutual. She's so amazingly annoying it surprises even me. Why did I start hating her, anyway? It's been so long, I don't even remember anymore..'  
  
"That's the last of them." she mumbled, throwing it into the pile.  
  
"I thought we weren't talking." he smirked. She rolled her eyes.  
  
"You are the biggest..biggest..BRAT I've ever met in my entire life!"  
  
"Brat? Aww, Steph, do you gotta pull out the big guns?" She ignored him.  
  
"What if Show gave a picture to someone? Like..Billy or something?"  
  
"Most likely he did." Jericho shrugged. "I was worried about that, too."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me when we were there?"  
  
'Because I didn't want to worry you. Wait a second, did I just think that?' He shook his head, not letting his thoughts progress any further. "Because I figured you would be smart enough to think of that. I mean, you have to have some brains up there. Unless your buddy Heyman tells you how to breath now."  
  
"Heyman does NOT control me." she glared at him.  
  
"I don't know, Steph, it sure looks like it to me. Who are you trying to fool? All he wants is your cash, and he's got that. He's obviously letting you think you own the company.."  
  
"I do own the company!"  
  
"He's got you and Shane brainwashed. I mean, Shane was a decent guy only a few months ago, before he got the company WCW. You..well, you weren't nearly as annoying as you are now." he shook his head. "As long as Paul's with you two, you will never own ECW. He will. Shane will never own WCW. He will."  
  
"How DARE you say that!" she stood up, her eyes narrowing.  
  
"So why WERE you drunk last night, Steph? I mean, I was drunk because of the many times people have screwed me over when I'm so close to the top--so close. What about you?"  
  
"I--" she stopped mid-sentence. "It's none of your business!"  
  
"No, it isn't, but hey..if it was something that you could make my statement false, you would have said it." She let out a little huff.  
  
"I'm not going to take this treatment from some blonde buffoon! I'm leaving!"  
  
"To where? Heyman and Shane? So you can be his slave again?"  
  
"You don't know me." she replied coldly. "I'm out of here." She turned and left hurriedly, slamming the door behind her.  
  
'Heyman has her under full control.' He took out the extra garbage bag and began cleaning up the remaining parts of the pictures. 'Just like I was..guess we were bound to have something in common some day.'  
  
*****  
  
He made sure the picture was in snugly against his thigh in his tights. He was going to bring it out just in case, he didn't trust Show. As his music started, he felt the adrenaline pulse through him. Forgetting about his problems, he cheerfully made his way down to the ring. Hopping in, he did the usual pepping up on the crowds. His eyes met a very angry pair, mainly Stephanie's. It was surprising the week had passed so quickly. What had happened in the beginning of the week still felt like an odd, odd dream.  
  
It took seconds for Show's music to pop up. 'Right on time.' Jericho watched as he appeared, the picture, folded, in his hands.  
  
"Woah woah there junior." He had grabbed a nearby microphone. He peered at him. "You know, I found an interesting picture people would love to see..however, just because I'm feeling nice, I'll make sure no one sees it if you just go back to the dump you came from. Oh, by the way, how the heck did you fit that stuff around your waist?"  
  
Show was confused, but suddenly understood. The plan had worked, he quickly retreated. Everyone around Jericho were looking at him oddly, and he just shrugged in response.  
  
"Just getting rid of him." he said simply. They all nodded, understanding.  
  
The match continued from there. At every turn, he was beated up, and in the end..he lost. He lost, his team lost..because of Austin. Because of the damn, fucking Rattlesnake. He should have known, but he hadn't. As he watched Team WECW celebrate from his fallen frame, he suddenly felt like ripping someone apart.  
  
'I hate them all..' He glared at the four celebrating in the ring. 'I hate ECW, I hate WCW..I hate the owners..I hate Heyman.."  
  
His focus was suddenly was lost and he felt like he was spinning out of control. Unexpectedly, his body colapsed completely. He finally had sucumbed to his exhaustion. 


	6. Hey, You Try To Lie To Lita! She Sees Ri...

"Chris.." The voice seemed to echo endlessly in his mind.   
  
'Steph..?'  
  
"Chris..!"   
  
'No, not her..who..?'  
  
"Chris you idiot, open your eyes!" It was so black. It was so..comforting. Black and silent. Well, besides the voice that kept breaking the blanket of silence. It was like he was floating, without a care. "Wake up!"  
  
'I don't want too.' He felt himself getting closer and closer to being fully awake. 'I don't want too..It's nicer here..'  
  
"Chris..Matt, what's wrong with him?"  
  
'Matt..Lita? Lita..' Even though he was barely aware, he was finally able to pin point her voice. 'She sounds so sad..'  
  
"I don't know..CHRIS! YO! WAKE THE FUCK UP!"  
  
'Matt..' he twitched as his voice echoed through his mind. He slowly managed to open his eyes. 'Oww.'  
  
"Chris, you're awake!" He felt arms around him in a warm hug. He shook the fog out of his head, glancing around.  
  
"Where am I?" he asked sleepily.  
  
"The Hardy room, of course!" He felt a hand clap his back, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Jeff.  
  
"Jeff? Didn't Rob get a few hits on you? Shouldn't you get that checked?"  
  
"Come on, Chris, you know that a few bumps to the head doesn't stop me!" Chris smiled, ignoring the dull headache he had.  
  
"You all right, man? You blacked out, Kurt and Kane had to basically CARRY you to the back."  
  
'Kurt? Who'd have guessed it?" He smiled at the trio, who were looking pretty worried. "I'm fine. See? ALL in one piece!"  
  
"Christopher Jericho, if you ever worry us like that again, I'm gonna put you out of commission myself!" Lita pointed a finger at him, wagging it angrily. "I all ready have two idiots, I don't need you to become one too!"  
  
"Hey!" Matt and Jeff countered together.  
  
"I'm a better idiot, though, right Lee?" Matt smiled innocently at her.  
  
"I promise." Chris swore, and she grinned at him.  
  
"You sure you all right, buddy?" Matt questioned. "You look pale."  
  
"I'm fine." he stood up. "Just a little tired. I haven't had a good couple of nights."  
  
"Oh. Well, you're welcome to sleep in our room tonight if you don't want to go through finding your room. We grabbed your stuff, it's over there." Matt gestured toward the corner.  
  
"If you guys want me, I'll stay." he shrugged.  
  
"Here, you can have my bed.." Jeff hopped off it.  
  
"No, no..Jeff, I can sleep on the floor." Chris was getting a bit exasperated. He just fainted, why were they making such a big deal?  
  
"I insist." he pushed him onto the bed. "Now ya move and I'll have to put a hurting on you!"  
  
"I'll let that comment slide, Rainbow Head." Chris rolled his eyes.  
  
****  
  
It had grown quiet in the Hardy hotel room. Too quiet. Chris couldn't sleep for anything. Sitting up, he glanced around the dark room. His eyes stopped on a key and he had an overwelming urge to take a walk. Grabbing the key to the room, he quietly slipped out into the deserted hallway. He chose a way and followed it.  
  
The way led him up stairs. At the end of the stairs was a door that he pushed open. Behind the door was a small, quiet balcony overlooking the area they were in. He walked forward, comfortably placing himself in a sunning chair. Lying back, his eyes casted upward toward the sky.  
  
'It's almost as clear as home.' He smiled at the thoughts of home. He really loved it there. He used to sit and look up at the stars all the time. 'Dad always used to call me a dreamer. I guess I still am. Atleast one of my dreams came true. I guess I could wait a while before I become the first alien on the planet Pluto.'  
  
"Chris?" he jumped, though wasn't too surprised that someone had ended up following him. He glanced over and smiled at Lita, who was walking towards him. "You really need to sneak out better, I heard you and I was in a DEEP sleep."  
  
"Sorry for waking you." he appologized.  
  
"It's all right." she shrugged, sitting in the chair next to him. "What are you doing out here?"  
  
"Looking at the stars of course." he replied simply. "It's quite a good night for it."  
  
"I guess so. I'm surprised it's so clear here."  
  
"Me too." He nodded. Lita looked up at the sky with him for a few moments, then spoke again.   
  
"You've been hiding something from us." she said simply. He glanced over, trying to keep his cool.  
  
"No I haven't." he replied.  
  
"You do realize you're trying to lie to someone who knows you very well, right?"  
  
"Fine." he sighed, defeated. "But listen to me, you cannot tell anyone about this, Lita. I mean it."  
  
"All right, all right, I promise." she turned to him. "So what's up?"  
  
"Do you remember when you came over a few mornings ago and I told you I was getting over being drunk?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Because as we were talking, There was a girl I accidently did something with..and the thing is, I have no idea what I did with her, but I did know who she was.."  
  
"Who was she?" she asked, suddenly very interested.  
  
"She was Stephanie McMahon."  
  
"YOU SLEPT WIT--" Chris basically clamped her mouth shut with his hand.  
  
"What are you trying to do, wake everyone up..?!" Chris said in a hushed voice.  
  
"Mmbf." she replied, her eyes as wide as saucers.  
  
"Are you going to scream again?" She shook her head no and he let go of her.  
  
"Chris, do you realize how bad that is..?" she whispered.  
  
"Well obviously." he shook his head. "You know I would never do that on purpose."  
  
"What does she say about it?"  
  
"I think it's all over now, we both were kind of freaked out." he shrugged. "I pissed her off and now I think she hates me more, if that's even possible."  
  
"You don't have that much luck with woman, do you?" she chuckled.  
  
"We get along.."  
  
"Name one other girl you get along with, Chris." she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Um.." he sat there, thinking. "Well, I think Molly sort of doesn't hate me."  
  
"She doesn't hate you, I don't think she hates anyone unless they do stuff like the Dudleys do." she giggled.  
  
"See? There ya go." he paused, then shrugged. "Well, so what? Girls obviously can't take my charm and grace."  
  
"Or lack thereof." she giggled. He pouted towards her.  
  
"Honestly, I have no idea why, but I hate the fact that Heyman is controlling her and Shane. I really shouldn't give a shit, but..I know what it's like. It's not pretty. Every bad thing people say about that man is absolutely true. He preys on weaknesses, and when he finds them, he controls them with it. No one deserves that." he let out a sigh. "No one, not even Queen Bitch herself."  
  
"You really hate him, don't you?"  
  
"More then you can ever know." he shook his head. "The guy is twisted, insane. He got me once, he's not going to get me again."  
  
"What was your weakness?" she asked, curious.  
  
"I was new in the business. He promised me fame, and of course I'd never miss that chance. For awhile, he kept feeding me all these promises, and some he did keep..but in the end, I broke free and went to WCW. Then after my life there, I came here..I'm not going to lose this now. I like it here, I like the people here. Hell, Heyman makes Vince look like boss of the year." She giggled at that.  
  
"Yeah, seriously." she agreed. "Well, it's late, Chris. Don't think about it all too much. It's over. But, you know.." she paused, then shook her head. "I'm not mad at anyone who left our side, from what you tell me."  
  
"I'm not either. Heyman still has it. He knows how to control them. They'll follow him mindlessly until they either snap out of it or fall to their doom when Heyman tells them to jump." They both went silent for a little, but it was quickly broken. "Let's go back to the room."  
  
"All right." She stood up, stretching. "Man, I'm tired. Come on."  
  
"Coming." He stood up, brushing himself off, before following.  
  
Before they entered the room, she turned to him. "I'm glad you decided to come to and stay with the WWF. For an idiot, you're one hell of a best friend. Don't worry, everything will end up all right in the end. Heyman will get his."  
  
"I know." he nodded, letting out a grin. "He lost his edge for awhile there, maybe he'll lose it again." 


	7. 3 Months Later, And He's Still Getting I...

"Hey Chris, how are you?" He glanced up to see Kurt standing there. Now, since they had become teammates for the WWF, they really did end up getting along. The guy was a prick, but he was a surprisingly agile one. He was a good addition to their team, but he would never admit that.  
  
"Hey." he said simply before going back to tying his wrestling boots.  
  
"Vince is getting angrier these days. This invasion thing has become a stalemate." he shook his head.  
  
"What would you like me to do?" he questioned, raising a brow.  
  
"Vince wants to see you." he shrugged toward Chris. "He's in the office. Told me to get you and bring you over as soon as possible."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know." he replied. "Come on, though, I don't feel like being yelled at for the tenth time today."  
  
"Fine, I'm coming."  
  
Three months had past, and he was still being bossed around. During the three long months, he had been trying his very best to win every match against the other side. He did manage a few good wins, and lost a few good ones too. It was getting tiring though.  
  
"I'll get down to business." He had been hustled into the room in seconds. Kurt scurried out the minute Jericho had stepped in. He looked over the worn face of his boss. "You have a new assignment."  
  
"I'm listening." he replied, watching him look him over.  
  
"You're going to kidnap Stephanie." That was the moment Chris realized that Vince had finally gone nuts.  
  
"Kidnap her?" he asked. "Are you insane?"  
  
"We need to start sinking to their level. Listen, I know you're the only one who can do this. You hate her, just let that out while you're after her and it'll be easy."  
  
"What would I have to do if I did get her?" he questioned.  
  
"That's the part that might upset you. She'll have to stay just with you until we get them to basically beg for her return. Without her, they can't get her money, after all."  
  
"I don't know.." he replied uneasily. 'I almost killed her after 1 morning. Could I do it for a few wweks?'  
  
"The WWF is counting on you. This might be our last chance." He was stunned at the words, but he already knew that was coming.  
  
"..Fine." he sighed quietly. "I'll do it."  
  
"Excellent." he smiled broadly at Chris. 'I'm so dead. I'm so, so dead.'  
  
***  
  
Contrary to the belief Vince had, he wasn't exactly the best at this kidnapping stuff. He now was behind a car, watching her for some reason hurring out of to the parking lot. He was about to spring to action when he noted Heyman was following her out.  
  
"Leave me alone you psycho!" she cried angrily to him. He had easily caught up with her. Jericho inched a little farther out to see what was happening.  
  
"Stephy baby, I'm sorry." he apologized. 'Don't buy it, Princess, he don't mean a word of it.'  
  
"I can't believe I listened to you from the beginning! People were right, you are a sick bastard!" Jericho couldn't help but grin. It seemed Stephanie now had gotten her right mind back. His eyes widened quickly when he noted he had grabbed her roughly. 'Oh shit.'  
  
"Well Steph, I tried to do it nicely.." she watched as she fell to the ground. 'He's going to really hurt her.'  
  
"Paul!" she cried out, glaring up at him.  
  
"You either help me or I break your neck." It was at that moment Jericho stood up.  
  
"Hey!" Both of them turned their attention to him. He walked into the light of the lamp that was placed in the parking lot. Heyman looked pleased, Stephanie looked like she had seen a ghost.  
  
"Ahh, Mr. Jericho..want to finish her off for me? Go right ahead." He glanced at the two. Stephanie looked like she was waiting for a big blow to come her way. Heyman backed away and Chris walked towards her. "Go on." Heyman urged him on.  
  
"Leave her alone." He turned so he was now standing between her and Heyman. Both Heyman and Stephanie looked at him, startled.  
  
"What?" Heyman asked, wondering if he heard him right.  
  
"If you want her..you go through me first. Hey Paul,I can even put your ass in the Walls." he grinned evilly toward him.  
  
"You're completely insane. All right, fine, I'll leave her alone. Don't think this is over though." He had backed off quickly. Very quickly. In seconds he was out of sight.  
  
Chris turned towards Stephanie, who was still in the sitting position, looking at him like he had two heads. 'Now, how do I kidnap someone who knows I'm here? This is certainly an unexpected curve.'  
  
"You just saved me." she said, sounding like she didn't believe it herself.  
  
"Basically." he shrugged. "You all right?"  
  
"No." she replied honestly. 'Oh god, here comes the waterworks.'  
  
"Come on, let's get you off the ground, huh?" he offered a hand. "I didn't even spit in it or anything." She looked at the hand through tear-filled eyes, and took it. He pulled her up.  
  
She stumbled a bit, then gained her balance. She wiped the tears from her eyes, which didn't do much. "He..he was about to really hurt me..the little fucker, why the hell did I trust him..?!"  
  
"Calm down." Chris had no idea what to do. He wasn't really used to comforting people.  
  
"He could have..killed me.." she looked considerably pale. "I didn't know it was going this far.."  
  
'What do I do? Kidnap her? Wait, not, that'll be wrong. She looked like she's about to have a nervous breakdown. If I just took her, she might go into those scary states of shock and her hair might turn white.' He felt totally at a loss of what to do, and that was when she moved in and just hugged him. Blinking in shock at first, he slowly let his arms drape around her in a slight, awkward hug as she cried into his shirt.  
  
'Why did I agree to this stupid plan? Why?' 


	8. Mops, Plots, And Lies--Oh My!

'OK..gotta think here..' Chris was dumbfounded. Just seconds ago he was suppose to have grabbed her, but now he was being hugged by the exact person he was trying to take. It just took all the fun out of kidnapping. 'I can't bring her to Vince. Vince said taking her is his last hope. Heyman will still want her back, right?'  
  
She suddenly let go of him. 'Must have figured out who she was hugging..' She wiped at her face, trying to dry the last remaining tears. He noted she was shaking like a leaf, and looked like overall crap. Then again, she WAS almost assaulted, so he didn't really blame her. 'Wait, if she was just attacked by Heyman, she'll need a place to stay away from him. OK, Chris, work your charm..why do I feel bad for lying?'  
  
"So what are you going to do now?" he asked softly, looking over at her. She shrugged, shaking her head.  
  
"Not going back to them." she said bitterly. 'If you only knew, Steph..'  
  
"Listen, this might sound a little crazy, but why don't you stay with me? I know I'm not exactly the best choice for a bunking partner, but besides me, you got no one in the WWF." he offered. 'That was pretty good, considering that I just lied my head off. Shit, I think she trusts me. Why do I suddenly wish we were fighting again?'  
  
"All right." she nodded slowly. 'Well, now my mission for Vince is done. She's coming with me. OK, it wasn't exactly kidnapping, but right now it's the next best thing. Wait until she finds out I'm going to have to send her back..' He gave a weak smile at her.  
  
"Come on, my car's over there.'he motioned to the direction and they both slowly walked to it. 'Heyman is a sick bastard, and now I'm no better..'  
  
***  
  
"Well, this is my room." Chris shrugged at her, dropping his stuff. She nodded silently. "I didn't have any drinks, did you?" That actually got a small chuckle out of her. "You can pick a bed."  
  
By the time he got out of the bathroom, she had all ready picked her bed and had fallen asleep in it. He couldn't believe she fell asleep that quickly, so he softly moved over to her and peered down. 'Wow, she's not only asleep, she's in a deep sleep. Jesus, did that fucker Heyman not let her sleep or something?'  
  
He moved to his own bed and laid down. 'I guess I can just pretend. Hey, this is war, after all. Only the strong survive. Why should I feel bad for her anyway? She's been a bitch to me since..um..well, it's been so long I can't even REMEMBER. I'll just keep this up. Hey, this'll be even easier then I thought at first. Now she can just think I'm being nice. I don't have to tie her up. Yes, this really is perfect. I just have to keep being friendly and it'll be in the bag..I won't feel bad. Why am I not believing myself?'  
  
He closed his eyes, and after awhile, he fell into a restless sleep.  
  
The morning came so alarmingly fast. It was like Chris had only slept an hour when the sun just blaringly let it's rays hit his face, quickly, annoyingly, waking him up. The first thing he heard when he was fully out of sleep was the sounds of walking. Turning over, he saw Stephanie standing near the bathroom, arching her back slightly as she stretched. She looked like a tornado had hit her, and it perhaps was the first time he saw her as normal Stephanie McMahon. The other time, *that* night, he didn't really even bother looking. She was an annoyance to him, he barely paid attention.  
  
He saw it this time, though. She probably was even acting more like herself under the false impression he was still asleep. She suddenly turned to him, and she caught his gaze.  
  
"You're up?" she questioned.  
  
"My eyes are open." he replied, smirking slightly. He sat up, stretching himself.  
  
"Can I use your shower?" she asked.  
  
"Go ahead." he nodded. He watched her disappear into the small room.  
  
He stood up fully, yawning slightly. Walking over to his stuff, he pulled out a pair of pants and easily slipped them on. The sounds of the shower had gone on for awhile, and Chris ended up relaxing on his own bed, staring up at the ceiling. The phone suddenly sprang to life, and he went and grabbed it, picking it up.  
  
"Hello?" he purposely kept his voice down.  
  
"Did you get her?" the voice quickly asked. 'Vince, obviously.'  
  
"Well..I didn't kidnap her.." he replied.  
  
"You didn't!?"  
  
"But I DO have.." he noticed Stephanie slowly walk out, wrapping her hair in a towel. "..a brand new umm..mop." Chris couldn't believe how stupid that sounded. She even turned to stare at him oddly.  
  
"A mop?" Vince questioned, sounding confused.  
  
"Yes, Perry. A um..mop. Moppy's cousin. You know, the one I was suppose to kidnap for you." Jericho tried not to look like he was lying his ass off. Luckily, Vince understood.  
  
"Ooh. So you have her?"  
  
"Yes, someone almost used her as some sort of cleaner, but I saved her. She's very happy here, and happy I saved her. She's ready to be picked up at any time." Chris kept hinting at what happened, hoping Vince would get it.  
  
"Let me get this straight, you saved her? She's with you now, but not kidnapped?" Vince asked, trying to piece together his hints.  
  
"Exactly, dogs drink donuts because it's the third week in December." Chris still felt her eyes on him. 'I HAD to say mop..'  
  
"Perfect. You just keep her trust, and I'll work on my end of the deal. I'll call you later."  
  
"All right, yes, I know pigs fly because fires tell them too. Goodbye." Jericho hung up, letting out a very small sigh of relief.  
  
"What was that about?" Stephanie asked, curious. She looked like she was actually even about to laugh.  
  
"Well, you know that Perry Saturn. Terri had her way on his old mop. Jealousy is such a fickle thing." Jericho replied, trying to sound calm about it. 'She bought it.' She giggled a bit at what he said.  
  
"I suppose so. Hey, even I haven't been dumped because of a mop butting into my relationships yet." she grinned at him.  
  
"I think it's one of those one-of-a-kind sort of things." he replied, letting out a chuckle. 'Man, how am I going to keep this up? I really need to start lying better..'  
  
"Hey Chris.." he turned his full attention to her.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why did you save me?" she asked, suddenly, her tone serious.  
  
For some reason, Chris was unsure himself. 'It was because I had to kidnap her, right..?' 


	9. The Two Enemies Seem To Be Getting Along...

"Well, you know, I am quite the.." he searched for the word. "chivalrous person."  
  
"Chivalrous? Chris, I don't think that word's been used since the 17th century." she replied. 'You know, that's the same thing I told Chyna when she said I wasn't that.'  
  
"But I am. You know, I'm such a kind, kind soul. I see a lady in danger, it's like one of those quick reactions." he explained.  
  
"Bragging much?" she rolled her eyes. 'She doesn't look mad though. Could be a first!'  
  
"Not at all." he quickly responded, grinning broadly. "Just telling it as it is."  
  
"Well, anyway, I just wanted to thank you." she shrugged slightly. "I was waiting to get clocked in the head by you too, but I guess I should have known by now that you're full of surprises."  
  
"It's just half of my winning personality." he chuckled.  
  
"Oh yeah." she rolled her eyes.  
  
"So, you OK now?" Chris was a little surprised by the unexpected tone of care in his voice.  
  
"I think so." she sighed. "I hate to say it, but you were right. Heyman is insane."  
  
"He'll be after you." he pointed out.  
  
"I know. I don't know what to do." she sighed, plopping on her bed. "I have no where to go."  
  
"Sure you do!" Stephanie looked up at him, confused. 'Come on, you gotta agree to stay here. I don't want to really kidnap you..'  
  
"What, you mean, here? With you?" she asked, sounding a little surprised.  
  
"Well, your choices are a bit slim. You have me or you can hide in your car for god knows how long." he shrugged. "I don't know about you, but sleeping in a cramped little car for probably a week or two isn't pleasing to me. Plus, let's not forget..you're broke. Heyman sucked all the cash out of you. You know he wants you back to get all the money you get after this moment.."  
  
"Don't remind me." she sighed.  
  
"The good thing about being as cool as me, I got enough cash to feed two people." he grinned. She eyed him.  
  
"Oh god, you're going to poison me, aren't you?" she asked, actually sounding suspicious.  
  
"No, I'm just in a generous mood today." he chuckled. 'When did I get so good at lying?'  
  
"Well, it's sort of surprising you'd be nice to me. I had this distinct knowledge that you hated me only a few days ago.." she replied.  
  
"Hey, the great Chris Jericho does not hate. I have a unique sense of dislike, but I don't hate. Anyway, your problems lie in someone I tend to have a lot of dislike for, so what better a way to piss him off?" he grinned.  
  
"I knew there was a catch." she smirked.  
  
"It's a little one." he grinned. "So, what do ya say?"  
  
"I can't believe I'm saying this..yeah, fine, I'll stay with you." she sighed.  
  
"Ahh, so I am deemed acceptable for the tastes of a princess?"  
  
"Well, not really, but you'll do for now." she shrugged.  
  
"I'm honored." he smirked at her.  
  
"And speaking of food, I'm hungry." he glanced over at her.  
  
"And what am I suppose to do about it?"  
  
"Well, you obviously have to get me something." she said simply.  
  
"Do you have some sort of weird concept that you must boss around everyone?" he questioned, smirking.  
  
"No, I just like bossing you around. You're a push over."  
  
"Oh I am, am I?" he smirked. He began walking toward her.  
  
"What are you--" she let out a yelp when he suddenly picked her up. "Let me go!"  
  
"Oh, can't you push me over?" he grinned as she squirmed in his grip.  
  
"You're such a jerk." she pouted.  
  
"Now is that any way to talk your hero?" he asked.  
  
"You scared off a big fat man. It wasn't that heroic." she muttered. "Now let me down!" At that exact moment, Chris stepped forward, not knowing her towel was still on the ground. His feet got tangled up in it.  
  
Of course, he did gracefully land on his back. Seconds after her felt something fall on him, and when he opened his eyes he was face to face with a snickering Stephanie.  
  
"Very smooth." Stephanie grinned down at him.  
  
"I must ask you to please refrain from putting your crap in my way." he replied. "By the way, why are you still on me?"  
  
"Oops." she rolled off him, landing on her butt. "Sorry about that." He sat up.  
  
"Lucky you're so light." he smirked.  
  
"I'm still hungry, you know." she pointed out. Chris rumaged through his pocket and pulled out a lone candybar. "Hey, I was wondering where this went.."  
  
"What IS that?" she asked, scrunching her face in disgust.  
  
"Your breakfast, catch!" he tossed it to her and she caught it, looking disdained.  
  
"How old is this thing?"  
  
"A week, maybe. I haven't worn this pants for that long, anyway." he stood up, stretching. "Enjoy!" He couldn't help but smile, watching her carefully pull the wrappings off, still seated on the floor. 'I'll give her something better later. Can't have her die of lack of nutrition, after all. The thing is, how do I get her out of the hotel room without worrying about Heyman and his goons seeing her?' 


	10. Lookit, Now They're Talking..Pretty Big ...

"I'm bored." He glanced over to her. She was lying on her bed, her eyes staring upward at the ceiling. The day had passed with no surprises, and now night had fallen and the moon casted   
  
"Well, you're living a hiding life right now. I'm sorry my room isn't entertaining enough for you." he replied, going back to the book in his hands.  
  
"I never took you as a reader." He glanced up again to find her now on her side, facing him.  
  
"Yes, surprisingly, I was taught in my half assed school how to read." he smirked at her.  
  
"Your school was probably better then mine." she replied, letting herself lie on her back again.  
  
"I doubt it. You had to go to one of those rich schools, right? I'm sure they didn't serve what they served at my school.." he shuddered at the thought.  
  
"Yeah, I went to one of those 'rich people' schools. They're horrible. I was brought up to see walking zombies..we all had to follow rules, and if we didn't, we'd get punished. No one liked being punished, so I basically sat every day of my school life in silence. It wasn't a great place to make friends, afterall." she let out a long sigh. "Most kids were even worse then me and my brother. They sort of looked down on us, because of the way my dad got his money. Wrestling was even worse off when I was a kid when it came to media. Everyone else besides us had money because their parents owned huge business chains, or even struck oil. We were 'those kids who's dad owned that weird company with all the sweaty guys'."  
  
"Hey, see, now I'm one of the sweaty guys!" he grinned broadly.  
  
"I'm glad school is over." she shook her head. "It was probably the worst days of my life. Thinking about it, my life hasn't gotten much better though. I'm stuck in here crying out my problems to some guy I was enemies with 3 days ago. Talk about pathetic." she shook her head.  
  
"Not really. Hey, may I remind you my best friend is currently the guy who I fought with in the worst of matches for a year."  
  
"Benoit?" she questioned.  
  
"Yep. It's pretty quiet with him not around." he shrugged. "He really is nothing like me, but in the same way, he is."  
  
"What do you mean?" she questioned.  
  
"Well, I've known Benoit for years..we've been through all the same shit. The only real difference between us is that I'm loud and he's quiet. Even that's changing, or it was before he got hurt. He was getting confident with talking, just as confident as he is in the ring even. I tell you, he amazes me sometimes. I mean, if I had an injury like he does..I'd probably be out for the year. Him? No way, Chris Benoit will not stay down. He's basically only wearing one of those neck collars because the doctor's making him, not because he needs too." Jericho laughed, thinking how stubborn his friend was. 'He's worse then me sometimes..but only sometimes.'  
  
"Well, Chris and I haven't had a great past either, but I'm glad to hear he's doing better." she replied.  
  
"I know when he comes back, we'll probably go at each other's throats again. I have some weird friendships, that's for sure." he chuckled. "I think the only people I never fight with are the Hardy brothers and Lita. They fight enough on their own."  
  
"And then you have me." she grinned.  
  
"Hey, I think it's safe to say this is the first time I haven't wanted to kill you, it's a start." he put down the book he was holding. "I don't seem to be able to keep enemies long. Damn my good nature.."  
  
"Well, if you think about it, every enemy turned friend you have had came from very odd situations. I mean, take for instance Benoit." she turned over so she was now laying on her stomach, facing him. "You two only ended up becoming friends because Regal and Angle were enemies to the both of you, making you work together. Chyna..well..that was my fault." he let out a small chuckle. "And me..well, we had the moment 3 months ago, which didn't end well..and the moment now."  
  
"I just can't get rid of you, can I?" he asked jokingly. 'This moment is going to end bad too. I don't want it too, I'll even admit it now. This is so wrong.'  
  
"Well, I don't usually end up getting along with many people that I used to hate, so I'd like to keep it that way. I mean, I haven't been able to really talk to someone like this for..years, I guess."  
  
"How about your jackass ex-hubby?"  
  
"Hunter? He was never really a husband, just one of those incredible look-alike ones. I've been so isolated because of my family name. Maybe that's the other reason why I was taken into Heyman's plot."  
  
"Heyman knows exactly what hurts people, and he magnifies it. He did it to me, he fueled my desire to win..it consumes you, when he gets into your head. You start thinking like him." he shook his head. "After awhile, you become mindless, with only the thought of bloodshed. That is what makes ECW ECW. The carnage the wrestlers made."  
  
"I wish I could help the people under his command. Most of them are really nice.." she sighed. "When Heyman wasn't around, they talked to me. I mean, they actually didn't mind me being the owner. They sort of just treated me like an equal."  
  
"ECW is tight knit, but Heyman sort of destroys it. All the guys there are great--I met them all." he shrugged. "Well, if you don't mind, I'm a little tired. Can I turn the lights out?"  
  
"Sure." she nodded. She got up, pulling the covers from their neat made spot so she could go under them as he reached for the light and flicked it off.  
  
"Goodnight, Chris." he heard her whisper as she settled into her bed. He paused, briefly.  
  
"Goodnight, Steph." he replied, just as softly.  
  
  
***  
  
"Up and at 'um!" Jericho was pretty cheerful for the time of the morning it was. He heard a small groan come from under a flurry of covers. 'Not a morning person, I suppose.'  
  
"Go away." she muttered crossly.  
  
"Now now, that's not very nice." he said, jokingly. "Come on, we're getting breakfast." He watched as she sat up groggily.  
  
"But how am I going to get around without being noticed?" she asked, yawning.  
  
"I got it ALL planned out. Here, put this stuff on." he tossed a few articles of clothing onto her bed, and she looked at them. Then she looked at him like he was insane.  
  
"Are you crazy?" 


	11. Steph A Jericho Groupie? Well, Sort Of..

'Actually, I think this is a very good plan.' Chris grinned toward her. "Not crazy..brillant!"  
  
"If you think I'm going to set foot out of this room wearing a get up like this.."  
  
"Think about it..everyone thinks you hate me! Why would you wear my stuff?" he grinned broader. "I'm even letting you wear my favorite jersey."  
  
"But I'm going to LOOK like a GROUPIE!" she frowned. Chris looked over what he gave her. 'Well, it will set Heyman off. I don't think he'll see that a girl wearing a Y2J hockey jersey and large blue atheletic pants would ever be someone like Steph."  
  
"Here, I got just the thing for you.." he rummaged through his pack, suddenly pulling out a hat. "See? Now you won't be all Jericho." he tossed her the hat.  
  
"The ROCK?" she groaned. "That might be even worse!"  
  
"Put it on. I'm sure you'll look fine." he urged her. 'And if not..hey, I'll get a good laugh out of it!'  
  
"Fine." she grumbled, grabbing the stuff and dizzily walking to the bathroom.   
  
After a few minutes, he lazily opened his eyes as he heard scuffling outside of the bathroom instead of inside. His grin widened as he saw her, and he broke out into a small fit of laughter.  
  
"That's it, I'm not.." he stood, catching her arm.  
  
"I'm sorry." he apologized. "You don't look bad, just really different then your usual self. That's why it's funny. Oh, yeah, that and the fact that you're losing your pants.."  
  
She hurriedly pulled them up, then sighed. "I look horrible." She held up her hands, which were covered by the sleeves of the huge jersey. "How big IS this?"  
  
"It fits me fine." he replied, grinning. "YOU look fine." he pulled her hat down more. "But we have to work on your stance. You need to act like how you look."  
  
"I act fine." she replied stubbornly.  
  
"You act like someone who has money. It's a certain way you carry yourself. If you want to be a riff raff like me, you gotta carry yourself like one. First problem is obviously you need to slouch." he said matter-of-factly. "Now slouch."  
  
"This is SO stupid." she rolled her eyes, but attempted to do as he said.  
  
"Try to look natural about it." he corrected. "Perfect..see? It's not so hard." She shot him a look. "Hey, you said you were bored, so I'm helping you not be bored. You have to work for it this time."  
  
"Fine, fine." she sighed in defeat.  
  
"Good. Let's go. We'll be having a hardy breakfast at McDonalds." he said enthusastically.  
  
"McDonalds? I have to look like this to go THERE?"  
  
"Hey, if I have to pay for your stuff, we're eating cheap. I don't have that much cash, you know..come on." she paused, then followed him as he trudged out the door.  
  
***  
  
"I've never eaten here." Chris looked up, surprised, at her as she carefully tried the sandwich in her hand.  
  
"You haven't?" he asked. She shook her head. "Man, your parents really did lock you up, didn't they?"  
  
"Shut up." she snapped. "It's pretty good though, surprisingly."  
  
"I'm glad you approve." he replied.  
  
"I still look stupid." she muttered, eyeing a person walking past her. He had glanced over to her, giving her a look that he probably didn't expect her to see.  
  
"Stop being so self-concious." he grinned.  
  
"Easy for you to say. All you need to wear is a hat and sunglasses." she grumbled, taking another bite.  
  
"Atleast you're out of the hotel." he shrugged.  
  
"Yeah." she paused. "Hey, do you think we could go to more places?"  
  
"More places?"  
  
"Well, I've never really had a chance to just walk around..because my dad is who he is, and all.." He noted the look of uncomfortableness. "I never really had a chance to feel relaxed, I always had bodyguards swarming me."  
  
"Well, I'm sort of like a bodyguard though.." he trailed off.  
  
"You're different." she shook her head.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"You act more like my friend..as weird as that sounds." she replied, sounding a little embarrassed. "I mean, 5 days ago, that thought would just make laugh..but it's different now. I don't care if you take the credit or not, you really saved my ass when you did. And then you take me in..no one has ever done that for me."  
  
"You consider me a friend?" he asked, surprised himself. 'It's getting harder and harder to lie to her..why has everything changed so quickly?'  
  
"Don't let it get to your head, though." she smirked at him.  
  
"So, what places did you have in mind?" he asked, peering at her.  
  
"Well.." 


	12. Well, Steph Wanted To Go Here..

"Are you sure you want to go in here?" he asked, looking up at the sign, then back at the building itself.  
  
"Yeah! When I was little, dad and mom thought video games were bad for us.." she grinned slightly. "Anyway, I look like a teen now, so come on, let's go." He allowed himself to be dragged inside.  
  
'An arcade..and she said *I* was the one who was surprising.' he shook his head and grinned. "Well, if you want to learn how to play video games, we have to start you off with the classics and move up. You're lucky I brought cash.." he put a few bills through the machine for the tokens to play the games. Giving her the handful of coins, she easily pushed it into her pants. She pulled them up again, just in case.  
  
The place was empty because it was still so early. Chris led her to an older looking machine, and he looked it over. "We'll start with this one--Pac-man. See, the point to this game is to get all the little yellow dot things without getting touched by the ghosts."  
  
"Sounds simple enough." she nodded, putting in the coins.  
  
"The big dots makes you immune to the ghost's touch." he explained as she grasped the joystick that was apart of the game. He watched as she concentrated intensely on the screen. "You're a natural."  
  
"Thanks." she replied, not moving her eyes from the screen. 'She's probably even better then me. Then again, I hate this game..'  
  
"Impressive! Look, you even got on the score board..put in your intials." he pointed to the screen.  
  
"All right." she easily punched in her initals. "I have the 6th spot."  
  
"Higher then I ever got, that's for sure." he grinned. "Ready to graduate to a harder game?"  
  
"I guess so." she nodded, following him. "Which one are we going to try now?"  
  
"Welcome to the world of Street Fighter." he grinned. "I'll be going against you this time."  
  
"You'll kick my ass." she pouted.  
  
"That's half the fun." he grinned, taking some of the coins from her hands. "Just press all the buttons, surprisingly it works. OK, chose who you're going to be."  
  
"Hmm..is this guy good?" she questioned, lighting up a big bear-like character.  
  
"They're all pretty good." he nodded. She smiled and picked him, while Chris easily chose the leopard-man. 'I know this game..I'll take it easy on her..'  
  
However, Chris was forced to break that. Surpisingly, his advice for pressing all the buttons was working, because she kept doing every secret move that bear had. He winced as his character was KOed. "Is that good?"  
  
"For you, yes.." he grumbled. She smiled broadly as the second round started. Chris was dumbfounded when she beat him again. "You said you never played a video game?"  
  
"Maybe a handheld one for like 5 seconds, but besides that.."  
  
"Well, whatever. Let's try one of those physical ones." he motioned toward the ski ball machines. "These are my favorites." As they walked over, she looked at it, her face showing the obvious fact that she had never played this before. "This one's easy too..take the balls that come out and throw them up the ramp. The object of the game is to get them into the holes at the end." He placed the money into the machine, and the balls came rolling out.  
  
"I'll try.." she said, nervously picking up the ball. She threw it, but it didn't get far. It slowly rolled back to her. "That wasn't suppose to happen, was it?" she questioned, taking the ball back.  
  
"Want some help?" he asked.  
  
"If you don't mind." she replied. He softly took her hand and helped her get a gliding motion.  
  
"All you have to do is follow through.." he said helping her learn the motion. The ball went from their hands, gliding easily up the ramp and into one of the 20 point bins. He realized how close he was to her and hastily backed up. "Um..now you try."  
  
"All right." she nodded, taking the next ball. She did the exact motion he had done with her, and he watched as she got it right in the middle.  
  
"There you go!" he encouraged her. He saw a smile cross her lips as she threw the rest of the balls. She racked up a pretty decent score, especially for someone new at it.  
  
"What next?" she questioned, turning to him. 'She's having fun. Good. For some reason, I'm having fun too..'  
  
"How about if you pick?" he grinned. "I mean, you wanted to come here, right?"  
  
"Yeah." she nodded her head. "Let's see.." he watched her scan the area. "Hey, what's that?" She walked down the ramp, and he followed. She stopped at an odd looking machine.  
  
"Drum set?" Chris asked outloud. "Hey, I saw one of these machines before! You sit in the seat, pick one of the popular songs they have on the list, and you play the drums to it."  
  
"Well, it SOUNDS interesting..but I can't play the drums." she shook her head.  
  
"Give it a whirl." he grinned.  
  
"If you say so." she shrugged, sitting in the seat. She slipped the money into the holder, and just as quickly a whole list of catagories came up. After pressing a few things, the familar song of "Zoot Suit Riot" started blaring.  
  
"Nice choice!" Chris nodded his head in approval as she started to beat the drum, catching the beat. He watched, grinning, as she quickly went from being unsure to totally getting into it. Chris noted even one of the workers glancing over their way.  
  
"I can't believe I just did that." she said, dropping the sticks when the song ended.  
  
"You beat the shit out of those drums!" he grinned. "I approve!"  
  
"I can't believe I just did that." she repeated, then laughed. "That was awesome!"  
  
"Gonna go join a band now?" he questioned as she stood up.  
  
"Nah." she shook her head.  
  
The rest of the day was speant sampling all the types of games atleast once. By the time it was dinner time, they had gone through every game but one.  
  
"Air hockey? Come on, now you know I'd kick your ass in this." he shook his head. "I rule at any hockey, my dad's even a REAL hockey player." Chris bragged.  
  
"Put your money where your mouth is, Jericho." she smirked, tossing coins his way.  
  
"I warned you.." he shrugged, tossing in the coins.  
  
Chris was surprised at her skill as they started playing. She was actually as quick as he was, but he didn't admit it. He scored on her, and she retailated seconds later. They were neck and neck, basically, and Chris suddenly realized that she probably played this game too.  
  
"You played this before, haven't you?" he asked, smashing the puck towards her. She hit it back, grinning.  
  
"Since I was little." she replied, watching as him hit it back. Smashing it suddenly, the puck hit the side and quickly got past his defenses. "Oh, by the way..I win." he saw her smile as he looked dumbfounded. "Come on, let's go get some take-out."  
  
'She beat me..that was SO not right..' he trudged after her, sulking.  
  
***  
  
"I'm tired." he yawned. After a quick dinner, they had ended up at the place they started at--his hotel room. Sliding the key in, he opened the door, tossing it to the side, turning the light on. He closed the door, and Stephanie pulled off the hat she had been wearing the entire day.  
  
"Wow, I can see." she smiled. "I'm glad I brought along that bag when Heyman went after me. I'd have to wear these things to bed."  
  
"It'll keep you warm." he shrugged.  
  
"I'm getting changed." she simply said, pulling out a tee and sweatpants before shuffling to the bathroom.  
  
Chris sighed, flopping onto his bed. 'That might have been the best day I've had in months. I'm sober, and I'm actually enjoying her company. This is really bad. I couldn't possibly..' he shook his head. 'Impossible. Now all I have to do is tell myself that over and over..' 


	13. Chrissy And Stephy Sittin' In A Tree--Wh...

He was awoken by whimpering. It was pretty low at first, almost indistinguishable, but then it grew a notch louder. Chris turned to his side, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He noted more then usual movement in her bed. 'Nightmare?' He stood up, letting out a little yawn. He softly walked over to her, peering down. 'Bad one, it looks like.'  
  
Though he heard somewhere that you shouldn't wake a sleeping person having a nightmare somewhere, he figured that it wouldn't be much of a problem, and he slightly shook her to awaken her. She twitched a little at first, but then suddenly shot up, almost making him fall backwards.  
  
"No!" she yelped. 'So THAT'S why they told you not to wake them up..' He put a comfortable hand on her shoulder, and she tensed up, still thinking she was probably in her dream. She turned her head, then slowly untensed. "C-Chris?"  
  
"Yep, it's just me." he whispered. "You all right?"  
  
"No." she whispered, burying her face in her hands. He hesitated. 'Now, what do I do at moments like these? Let's see..when I had nightmares, my mom always asked me what it was about..or something like that.' He sat down lightly on the bed.  
  
"Want to talk about it?" he asked, trying to sound comforting.  
  
"I'm so afraid." she said in a hushed tone. "All the time..Heyman can get me at any time, Chris, and you know it."  
  
'More then you could imagine..' He looked at her quietly. "Not if I'm here."  
  
"Why DO you keep helping me?" she asked, suddenly staring at him. "I don't understand you. The last time we were with each other, we were fighting the entire time. Why is it so different this time?"  
  
"I-" Chris couldn't believe he was actually speechless. 'I don't know. It started as helping Vince, but now it's not..now..' He suddenly realized that he had just done something he wasn't fully aware of.  
  
It was like snapping out of a dream, and when he snapped out of it, he found he had just leaned in and kissed her. He pulled away quickly, a lump forming in his throat. 'Oh my god, I didn't just do that..'  
  
"You just kissed me." she said, her eyes widening.  
  
"I'm sorry" he managed to blurt out. "I-I don't know how that happened.." He felt his face turn deep red. 'Sure I know how I did that, I leaned in and kissed her..fuck, I think I liked it too..' He stood up, feeling suddenly a little sick. 'This isn't suppose to be happening..'  
  
"Chris, wait.." He felt a jolt of electricity fly up his arm as she lightly touched it. She had stood up too.  
  
"I didn't mean to do that." he tried explaining. "It just sort of.." He had turned to face her, and was cut off by her. 'She's kissing me..' He didn't pull away, he didn't want too. 'This shouldn't feel this good.' When the kiss was broken, he stared at her.  
  
"Not bad, we're actually aware of it this time." she whispered, grinning towards him.  
  
"Very true." he nodded. "Steph.."  
  
"It's all right." she shook her head. 'She doesn't like the real me, the real me is going to make her nightmare come true. But I don't want to mess up this moment..I feel happy..'  
  
***  
  
He woke up, knowing wthis time why someone was actually next to him. Now, they didn't do a thing last night, which was good to know considering the first time he ended up in this position he wasn't sure how far it went. He looked down, letting out a brief smile. She was curled up against him, her head on his chest. 'She looks so innocent..she is innocent. I have to call off this thing with Vince. He'll understand..'  
  
Just as he decided that, he noted her slowly awakening. She stretched a little, blinking a few times. She nuzzled deeper into him, closing her eyes again, probably attempting to sleep once again. He smiled, nudging her.  
  
"Noo..I don't wanna wake up.." she mumbled, sleepily.  
  
"I need my body though." he whispered back, chuckling slightly.  
  
"No you don't." she replied, not opening her eyes. "It's my pillow now.."  
  
"I'm so glad I've progressed into such an important position.." he smirked. "Come on, time to wake up."  
  
"Fine.." she sighed, rolling over. He sat up, stretching his arms out.  
  
"Much better." he cracked his knuckles. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Yeah, actually." she smiled, finally sitting up. "Wow, this is like what happened a few months ago all over again."  
  
"Different, though.." he grinned. "I did not do it under the influence of liquor..unless you slipped something in my drink, that is."  
  
"Oh yeah, I just use you as my personal toy." she smirked.  
  
"If you pull my cord I say my catch phrases." he joked.  
  
"I hope you're a defect, your catch phrases get annoying sometimes." she quipped back.  
  
"They're supposed to be, I mean, look at The Rock!" he responded, and she laughed. "Now that guy is worse then me."  
  
"Yeah, you're just plain mean." she stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
"Mean? Me? Never." he grinned. "I prefer to call it teasing."  
  
"Uh-huh." she rolled her eyes.  
  
"Gotta be doing something right, you kissed me last night.." he smiled.  
  
"You're not even a good kisser." she grinned.  
  
"Well I was half asleep." he replied. "After you woke me up.."  
  
"You know, I keep thinking that I should feel a lot more weirder then I am now." she chuckled.  
  
"I know the feeling, but..whatever." he shrugged. "Quite the funny sort of twist, though.."  
  
"Well, I seem to have grown accustom to liking big tall blonde Canadians." she chuckled.  
  
"You're going to leave me for Edge, aren't you?!" he pouted.  
  
"I'd rather date Billy Gunn." she rolled her eyes.  
  
"I would think Billy would be a little worse.." he trailed off. "Plus, I don't think you're his type..or the right gender." Stephanie let out a laugh.  
  
"Good point. Nevermind." she giggled. "But no, I think maybe I'll keep you around.."  
  
"I'm honored." he chuckled. Their conversation was cut short when the phone rang. 'All ready? Man, I haven't even thought of my speech..' He turned over, taking the phone, placing it against his ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Great news!" Vince's voice responded cheerfully. "Heyman all ready agreed to our offer! We'll be taking Stephanie from you early!"  
  
"WHAT?!" He shouted, not caring if he startled her. "Listen! You can't--"  
  
"Tell me when I get there, we're leaving now!"  
  
"But..!" he tried to blurt it out.  
  
"Tell me later, Chris. We'll be their in 5 minutes." Click.  
  
"Hello?! HELLO?!" Chris cried out. Vince had hung up. He placed the phone on the reciever, slowly turning to Stephanie, who had a mix of confusion and worry on her face.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" she inquired.  
  
'Where do I start?' Chris looked at her, then looked down. 'I should have never agreed to this..when she finds out..'  
  
"Chris?" she asked, once again. 


	14. Chris's A Knight In Shining Armor--Too B...

'Here goes nothing..' he stood up, taking in a small breath. "I've got to get you out of here."  
  
"What?! Why? Is Heyman coming?" she asked, suddenly sounding scared.  
  
"No, not yet. Steph, your dad is coming. He's taking you.." Jericho lowered his head. "He's trading you for a little boost in the little battle between the companies. Steph, it's my fault.."  
  
"What do you mean?" she asked, staring at him.  
  
"Vince set me up for it. The night I saved you..I was really.." he bit his lip slightly. 'The time to tell the truth is now..' He let out a sigh. "I was really suppose to kidnap you. I sort of improvised. But Steph, you got to believe me..I wasn't expecting anything like what happened to happen."  
  
"Y-you lied to me?" she asked, a hurt tone in her voice. "I should have known..ugh!"  
  
"Steph, please.." he blurted. "It's different now, it started as Vince's plan..but..I'm so sorry." She stood up, glaring at him.  
  
"I bet you are." she said, angrily. "Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. You would do something like this. And to think I trusted you.."  
  
"Listen!" he tried to get into her angry, hurt rant. "You can curse me all you want, and I'm fine with that. But..but.." he felt the lump in his throat try to stop him, but he swallowed it. "I love you! Damnit, I love you and right now you are in DEEP shit. Yes, it's my fault, but I want to fix it! You've got to get out of here."  
  
"Fuck you." she glared at him. 'Well, this is going well..'  
  
"Just leave." he said. "Hide somewhere. I'll stop them so you can get away." His heart skipped a beat when he heard the banging on his door. "Shit."  
  
"I can't believe you set me up." she glared at him. Chris looked around. They were trapped. Pushing past her, he opened the door.  
  
"Where is she?" Vince asked exactly when he opened the door.  
  
"Vince.." He cried out as he was pushed back. He heard Stephanie yelp, and by the time he had gained his senses back, Big Show had her. She was slumpt over, unconcious.  
  
"Vince, you can't do this!" he quickly said.  
  
"Well, I'll hand it to you, Show..you were right." Jericho's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Told you he and this little bitch had something going on." Show said matter-of-factly.  
  
"You bastard!" Jericho spat, trying to rush at him. He found himself held back, and he turned his head to see Bradshaw holding him back. "Let me go!"  
  
"I'm surprised you haven't learned, Chris..you can never trust a McMahon..not even the one you have seemed to grown a liking too." he smirked. "I thought you had a little more sense then that, you surprise me. She would have just thrown you out sooner or later. You had it right when you called her a slut."  
  
"You're fucking insane! I didn't know her back then, but you have no excuse!" he glared at him, his arms still being held back. "Heyman will destroy her!"  
  
"Not if the WWF doesn't first..Big Show, come on..Bradshaw, you know what to do." Chris suddenly felt something hard slam into him, and the world blacked out.  
  
***  
  
"Don't move." Chris twitched, the odd low voice the first thing he heard. He groaned, feeling sick. "I said not to move." Chris suddenly felt a cold object hit the painful spot on his head, instantly making it feel better. "Hold that to your head for awhile."  
  
Chris opened his eyes and moved his arm so he was holding the ice bag. He was flat on his stomach, on the floor. Where was he? Who was the owner of the voice? This wasn't his room. He knew atleast that. He hastily sat up, glancing around. Nothing. He stood, dizzily.  
  
"If you want to save her, I suggest you do it as soon as possible." He whirled around to find himself staring at Raven.  
  
"How the hell did I get here?" he asked.  
  
"Vince has intrusted me with you." he chuckled lowly.  
  
"Where is she?" he asked, angrily. "You better tell me or I'll.."  
  
"Now now, Chris.." he snickered. "Are you really in any position to make idle threats? You see, you CAN knock me out, I'm sure..but then how would you find your lady? Ah, the labyrinthine decision..trust me as I say I will take you, or attack and look blindly. By this time, your choice must be impeccable--she'll be picked up in an hour."  
  
"You'd take me to her?" Chris asked, eyeing him.  
  
"Ahh, see? You really can't tell, can you? I mean, I could be telling you the truth--and then, I couldn't as well. I'll leave that up to you to decide. Both decisions have flaws..if you come with me, you'll just have to see if I lead you there." he grinned. "But hey, it's more fun that way."  
  
"Don't you understand that she's in danger?" he asked.  
  
"I could care less. What is your choice?" Chris glared at him, then sighed.  
  
"I swear, if you're lying.."  
  
"We'll just have to see, I guess." he grinned wickedly. "Come on."  
  
Chris threw the ice pack to the side and followed him. 'What if she never speaks to me again if I find her? I can't believe that of all the people in the world, I have to trust this idiot. What the hell does labyrinthine mean anyway?'  
  
"Hmm..ahh, here we are." he grinned after probably 5 minutes of walking. He pointed down the hall. "Your fate lies in the last room. I'm out of here." He walked away, and Chris looked down the hall. 'You better have been telling the truth, you fucker..' He walked down it at a quick pace, stopping at the door.  
  
He reached for the doorknob, then hesitated. What if he was jumped? 'This is worth it, it's for her..I just have to trust him..' He slowly turned the handle, opening the door slowly. "Steph!" he cried out, his eyes quickly drawn to the stooped over form in the chair in the middle of the room. Her mouth was gagged, which was pointless because she was knocked out anyway. They had tied her tightly to a chair.  
  
He quickly ran to her. He then noticed the fine bruise on her cheek. He had really hurt her. 'That bastard..' He quickly untied the gag, then hit her other unbruised cheek gently. "Steph, Steph..wake up!"  
  
"Mm.." she groaned, her eyes slowly sliding open. Her eyes instantly narrowed on him.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing here?" she hissed angrily. "Oh, let me guess, you wanted to throw stuff at the idiot who decided to trust in her enemy.."  
  
"I should have kept the gag on." he rolled his eyes, going behind her, finding the knot to the rope. "Hold still. Contrary to your belief, I was knocked senseless and I just put up with Raisin for more then I wanted too. I did that for you, by the way--almost got it.."  
  
"Well do you blame me for being made at you, Chris? The entire time--you lied to me!" She suddenly felt her arms freed, and she pulled them so they rested on her lap. He went in front of her, kneeling down, looking for where the rope that held her legs was knotted. "Did he pay you to entertain me?"  
  
"Actually, no, he didn't." he replied. "I did that on my own. Hell, besides the kidnapping idea, it was all me. I didn't have to save you, but I did."  
  
"And that kiss.."  
  
"You really think someone like Vince would make me kiss someone I didn't want to kiss?" he replied. "Hells no." He easily untied her. "There. You're free." He pulled the ropes away, and she stood up, unsteadily. She took one step, which was a bad idea because she was still unsteady with her cramped up legs. She tripped, and he easily caught her.  
  
"Take it easy! You've been in the same position for awhile. Let your muscles stretch out." he warned. He helped her stand upright again, and she seemed to gain her balance.  
  
"So you don't want to hurt me?" she asked, turning to him.  
  
"Figure it this way, hun..you can either come with me and chance being picked up by Heyman, or stay here and get picked up by Heyman. Now, you have a much better chance with me, don't you think?" he grinned.  
  
"I guess so." she still sounded doubtful.  
  
"I'll say it again..I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd end up like this--"  
  
"Come on, what do you expect? You kidnapped me!" she sighed. "You helped the one person I hate the most have a chance at me. You couldn't even tell me until you had too.."  
  
"Would you ever kiss someone you knew kidnapped you?" he asked. She fell silent. "I know it was selfish of me. But I'm trying to make it up to you.."  
  
"Oh..this is bringing tears to my eyes!" Stephanie and Jericho both looked up, startled. Heyman slowly came out of the shadows, and he wasn't alone. Chris slowly stepped in front of Stephanie. "And what's this? Prince Charming protecting the Princess? Isn't that cute, fellas?"  
  
"Adorable." Rhyno smirked, standing with his arms across his chest.  
  
"Well actually.." Lance Storm started.  
  
"Shuddup." Heyman snapped, and Lance quieted.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you brought along the freak show." Jericho said, his eyes narrowed. "What's wrong. Paulie, can't fight your own battles?"  
  
"I could, but what fun would that be? That idiot Vince thought I would buckle under so easily. Hah! He's downed, just like he should be. Step aside, Chris..perhaps I'll let you get out with only a minor beating." Paul smirked.  
  
"Chris..maybe you should.." Stephanie whispered.  
  
"See? Even the girlfriend's got more brains then him!" Heyman laughed.  
  
"I made a promise once..and I intend to keep it. You're not touching her unless you destroy me first.." he stood fully in front of her. "Come on, you two little puppets..I'm glad you guys love being controlled." He watched as the two men began slowly walking towards him. 'How do I get myself into these situations?' 


	15. The Final Showdown, An' A Lil' Surprise ...

That was when one of those miracles happened. He watched as they advanced, knowing he was going to get one of those full out ass whoopings, when the door suddenly blasted open. Everyone in the room turned in shock towards the door.  
  
"Yee-haw!" Chris felt a rush of relief flood through him as he saw Jeff Hardy step through, into the room, along with his brother and Lita.  
  
"Hey! Can't have an old fashion jumping without us!" Lita grinned. "Chris, I'm hurt, why didn't you invite your old pals?"  
  
"Get them!" he pointed toward the trio, and the two goons quickly went after them. Chris jumped in and helped, and the 4 on 2 soon stomped them to the ground. Chris turned to Heyman, who was backing away.   
  
"Not so big when you're outnumbered, eh?" Chris smiled.  
  
"I was just joking, see.." Jericho suddenly rushed him, picking him up by his collar.  
  
"I'm not. You're a pyscho, Heyman. You control innocent people. Even these two idiots don't deserve it. No one does." he glared at him. "Now, you either sign all your rights of ECW and WCW to Stephanie and Shane, or you're going to get a beating you'll never EVER forget."  
  
"Can't we talk about this..?" he asked.  
  
"Now." Chris said, his tone warning.  
  
"Fine, fine. I will. But let me tell you this Princess, you'll never be able to control the idiots in your company. They only went to ECW because I tricked them into doing it.You were right, Jericho, they are my puppets. I control them. They are at my every whim." he grinned malciously.  
  
"Would you like to say anything else, Heyman?" They all turned their attention to Raven, who was now leaning against the doorframe, a tape recorder in his hands. Meanwhile, Lane and Rhyno had snapped out of their daze from being attacked, and was glaring at Paul. 'They must have heard it too.'  
  
"R-Raven! Buddy, you know I was just kidding..haha.." Paul squirmed nervously.  
  
"No one controls me. Not even you. Here, Boss. All yours." He tossed it to Steph, who caught it.  
  
"You OK?" Matt asked Lance as he helped him up. He took the help, as did Rhyno who was helped up by Jeff. Heyman was now all alone, as Lance and Rhyno stood beside the two Hardy brothers, waiting to see what Jericho was going to do to Heyman.  
  
"So, ready to sign?" he asked, grinning.  
  
"..Yeah, fine." he grumbled.  
  
***  
  
"Chris!" Chris's eyes narrowed at the one who knocked on his door.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked. "You caused enough trouble."  
  
"Chris, I was only trying to help you." Vince tried to explain. "My daughter, she's.."  
  
"I don't give a fuck what you think about her..now, if you don't remove yourself from my sight in 10 seconds, I'm going to be forced to hit you so hard your pathetic looking toupee will fly into the next state." he warned.  
  
"Chris.."  
  
"10!" he counted, glaring at him.  
  
"Fine, Chris, I'll go." he backed off, then walked away. Chris was just about to slam the door, when a soft voice stopped him.  
  
"Chris.." his heart skipped a beat. He watched as she slowly walked in front of him.  
  
"Steph!" he smiled at her, then frowned. 'I left when Heyman signed it over..I hope she's not mad..'  
  
"You left so quickly, I didn't get a chance to thank you." she said. "And..that I'm sorry."  
  
"No, don't be sorry. This is my fault, all of it. Steph, I don't deserve to be forgiven, but I ask you..please, please forgive me." he said softly.  
  
"You wouldn't understand how hurt I was when I found out.." she paused. "But..Chris, do you really love me? Or did you just say that to..well, calm me down? Because after Hunter decided to leave me, I don't think I'll be able to put up with that hurt again."  
  
He paused, then smiled. "I love you." She pulled him into a kiss. 'So this is what pure bliss feels like..'  
  
"I love you too." she whispered, and his smile broadened. "Raven told me everything."  
  
"Raven's pretty surprising." he shook his head.  
  
"Not really. He's been a good friend of mine since he came to ECW. He's never really been one of the zombies."  
  
"The little fucker.." he groaned.  
  
"I'm guessing he gave you a bit of a hard time with finding me? Yeah, he's kind of like that." she smiled.  
  
"Well, whatever." he shook his head. "So, you forgive me? Please?"  
  
"I guess so.." she chuckled. "You make it hard for me to be mad at you, you know that?"  
  
"My other secret talent." he winked. He pulled her into another kiss. After they broke it, she smiled slyly up at him.  
  
"After all, how could I explain to my kid that I couldn't forgive his or her daddy?" She mused. 'Yes, how could she..what?!'  
  
"OK, I get the feeling I understand what you just meant.." he said, feeling suddenly light headed.  
  
"I'm sorry Chris, I was keeping a little secret from you too.." she paused, then grinned. "Remember that night three months ago..? I think I know what we did.."  
  
"You're..pregnant?" he asked, dumbfounded. She nodded sheepishly.  
  
"That was why I was outside that night, and why Heyman was after me. I was going to tell you." she explained. "So..surprise?"  
  
"We gotta start thinking of names.." he said after a long pause. She smiled at him. "Hey, how about Chris?"  
  
"Very original." she rolled her eyes.  
  
"I know!" he winked at her, then gave her a quick kiss. "We can name her ChrisTINE if she's a girl."  
  
"Did you think of that all by yourself?" she asked with a grin. He nodded, happily.  
  
"Well, hey, we'll have one of those cool stories to tell the kiddo on how we met." he grinned.  
  
"It's certainly going to be an interesting story, that's for sure." she nodded, then laughed.  
  
'I seem to have a lot of interesting stories..I think I like this one the most..' He smiled, watching her. "Hey! Can our kid grow up to be a riff raff? Jeff and Matt could be the kid's uncles! Yeah!"  
  
"Oh dear lord.." she groaned.  
  
"What? Maybe Jeff'll even show 'um how to dye hair.." he thought outloud. Stephanie gave him a look. "Kidding! Just kidding!"  
  
"I can't believe I have to put up with this the rest of my life.." she shook her head.  
  
"It'll be fun!" he laughed, giving her a hug. 'It's all ready fun..I wouldn't trade anything that has happened for even a million dollars..'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And that's..the end. ^__^ Hello everyone, Tracey here, fanfic writer. ^_~ I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! It's been a labor of love, it has. Heehee. Byee! 


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